Eider
This article is about the seaducks. For the river, see Eider (river). For other uses, see Eider (disambiguation).
| Eiders | |
|---|---|
 | |
| King eider in breeding plumage | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Anseriformes |
| Family: | Anatidae |
| Subfamily: | Merginae |
| Genus: | Somateria Leach, 1819 |
| Species | |
| |
Eiders (/ˈaɪ.dər/) are large seaducks in the genus Somateria.
The three extant species all breed in the cooler latitudes of the Northern hemisphere.
The down feathers of eider ducks, and some other ducks and geese, are used to fill pillows and quilts—they have given the name to the type of quilt known as an eiderdown.
Steller's eider, Polysticta stelleri, is in a different genus despite its name.[1]
Species
- Common eider Somateria mollissima
- King eider Somateria spectabilis
- Spectacled eider Somateria fischeri
Two undescribed species are known from fossils, one from Middle Oligocene rocks in Kazakhstan and another from the Late Miocene or Early Pliocene of Lee Creek Mine, USA. The former may not actually belong in this genus.
References
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Somateria. |
 |
Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Eider (Duck). |